The present invention relates to a mechanism for uniformly orienting elongated components having distinct and readily identifiable ends, where such components were initially randomly oriented. More specifically, the invention is capable of automatically converting a randomly oriented steady-stream input of elongated objects into a uniformly oriented steady-stream output of such objects.
The prior art shows methods and apparatus for tip-turning non-randomly aligned cylindrical objects, such as cigarettes, through 180.degree., to achieve a stream of properly aligned objects.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,215,250 describes a method and apparatus for rotating, by 180.degree., every cigarette of one of two rows of cigarettes exiting a cigarette-making machine. The rotation results in the filters of both rows of the cigarettes pointing in the same direction. The cigarettes are rotated by rotating the flute in which they are positioned through 180.degree.. Once rotated, the two rows of cigarettes are combined into a single row of properly oriented cigarettes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,249 describes a method and apparatus for aligning each succeeding pair of non-randomly oriented cigarettes. Pairs of coaxial cigarettes with their filter ends oriented in opposite directions are fed to the mechanism. One cigarette from each pair is tip-turned 180.degree. so that each pair of cigarettes discharged from the mechanism has its filter ends oriented in the same direction.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,577,644 also describes a method and apparatus for orienting each succeeding pair of non-randomly oriented cigarettes or other smoking products. Two rows of oppositely oriented cigarettes are formed when a cigarette of double unit length with a double-length filter in its middle is cut in two. One cigarette from each of the pairs is tip-turned 180.degree. to produce a single row of cigarettes, with both filter ends oriented in the same direction.
A drawback of these prior art inventions is that they are only capable of acting upon each one of a continuous stream of succeeding cylindrical objects. That is, the prior art devices are not able to discriminate between cylindrical objects which are properly oriented and those which are improperly oriented, reorienting only those objects which are improperly oriented.